Hypothermia
- Adults: shivering, exhaustion or feeling very tired, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech, drowsiness
- Babies: bright red, cold skin and very low energy
- A body temperature below 95°F needs medical attention immediately
Power, heat and light
How to stay warm in a winter power outage
Move everyone into one small room, close it off, and dress in loose layers with hats and blankets. Never heat the house with a gas oven, stove, grill or generator, and go to a warming center or a friend's home if the house gets too cold to hold.
Pick one room and hold the heat in it
A small space keeps body heat better than a whole house. The National Weather Service suggests closing off rooms you don't need.
01Choose the room
- Pick one room where everyone can sit and sleep together.
- Close the doors to every other room.
- Bring in blankets, sleeping bags, hats, mittens, water and the flashlights.
Source: National Weather Service
02Seal it
- Stuff towels or rags into the gap under the door.
- Close blinds and curtains to hold in some heat.
- Keep an easy-to-read thermometer in view and check it often, especially with anyone over 65 in the house (CDC).
Source: National Weather Service and CDC
03Keep your body warm
- Wear layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing (NWS).
- Take a layer off before you start to sweat, since damp clothes chill you.
- Drink plenty of warm fluids and skip caffeine and alcohol (Red Cross).
- Cover the head, hands and feet. The nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers and toes are the first areas at risk of frostbite.
Source: American Red Cross
Which heat sources are safe indoors
Sort what you have into these rows before you light anything.
| Heat source | Indoors? | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| Gas oven or stovetop | Never for heating | Ready.gov, the CDC and the Red Cross all say never to heat your home with a cooking oven or stove. |
| Portable generator | Never | Outdoors only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages (Ready.gov). |
| Charcoal grill | Never | Burning charcoal indoors gives off CO (CDC). CPSC: not in a garage either, door open or not. |
| Portable camp stove | Never | The CDC says never to use one indoors. |
| Flameless chemical heater | No | The CDC says not to use portable flameless chemical heaters indoors. |
| Fireplace or wood stove | Yes, if vented | Chimney checked every year, a battery CO detector and smoke detector near the area, a dry-chemical extinguisher nearby (CDC). |
| Electric space heater (when power or a generator cord allows) | Yes, with care | 3 feet clear on all sides, on a level surface, plugged into a wall outlet, cord not under rugs, never left running unattended (CPSC). |
| Candles | Avoid | The Red Cross advises against them for the fire risk. Use battery lights and flashlights. |
Every fuel-burning appliance should vent to the outside (CDC).
Frostbite and hypothermia: the warning signs
Both can start indoors in a cold house. These are the CDC's lists.
Frostbite
- Redness or pain in a skin area may be the first sign
- A white or grayish-yellow skin area
- Skin that feels unusually firm or waxy
- Numbness
The CDC names older adults without enough food, clothing or heat, babies sleeping in cold bedrooms, and people who drink alcohol or use drugs among those most at risk. Hypothermia can happen even above 40°F when someone gets chilled from being wet.
What to do while you wait for help
Call 911 for hypothermia or frostbite. If help can't reach you right away, the CDC gives these steps.
- Get the person into a warm room or shelter.
- Remove any wet clothing.
- Hypothermia: warm the center of the body first (chest, neck, head and groin), with an electric blanket if you have one. Warm drinks help, but give no alcohol. Once they are warmer, keep them dry and wrapped in a blanket, head and neck included.
- Frostbite: warm the person under dry layers of blankets and clothing, and put the affected areas in warm-to-touch water.
- With frostbite, don't rub or massage the skin, don't walk on frostbitten feet unless you must, and don't use a fireplace, heat lamp, radiator, stove, heating pad or electric blanket on the area. The skin may be numb, so the person can hurt it further without feeling it.
- Get medical care as soon as you can.
Pipes
A cold house can mean a burst pipe on top of everything else.
The Red Cross lists the pipes that freeze first: outdoor hose bibs, pipes in unheated basements, crawl spaces, attics, garages and kitchen cabinets, and pipes on exterior walls with little insulation.
- Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors so warmer air reaches the plumbing, and move cleaners out of children's reach.
- Let cold water drip from faucets served by exposed pipes. Even a trickle helps.
- Keep the garage door closed if water lines run through it.
- If a faucet gives only a trickle, suspect a frozen pipe. Keep it open and warm the pipe with towels soaked in hot water, or a hair dryer or heating pad if you have power.
- Never thaw a pipe with a blowtorch, kerosene or propane heater, charcoal stove or any open flame. Call a licensed plumber if you can't find or reach the frozen section.
When to leave for a warming center
Decide on the place before the storm, so leaving is a short trip and not a search.
Ready.gov says to go to a community location with power if heat or cold is extreme, and to check with local officials about heating locations open near you. The Red Cross suggests a friend's house, a public library or a warming center.
Leave sooner if the room keeps dropping, if anyone shows the warning signs above, or if someone in the house relies on power for medical equipment. Before you go, check on neighbors, especially older adults and families with babies.
Questions people ask
How do you stay warm when the power goes out in winter?
Gather everyone in one small room, close the other doors, put towels under the door, close the curtains, and dress in loose layers with hats and blankets.
Is it safe to use a gas oven for heat?
No. Ready.gov, the CDC and the Red Cross all say never to heat your home with a gas oven or stovetop.
Can I use a camp stove or grill indoors for heat?
No. Grills and camp stoves give off carbon monoxide and belong outdoors only.
What are the first signs of hypothermia?
Shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech and drowsiness in adults. In babies, bright red, cold skin and very low energy, per the CDC.
How do I keep pipes from freezing without power?
Open cabinet doors under sinks, let cold water drip from faucets on exposed pipes, and keep the garage closed. Never thaw pipes with an open flame.
Where can I go if my house is too cold?
A warming center, a public library, a community location with power, or a friend's home. Local officials can tell you what is open.
Read next
Sources
- National Weather Service: During a Winter Storm Closing off rooms, towels under doors, curtains, layers.
- CDC: Preventing frostbite and hypothermia Warning signs, first aid steps, risk groups, 95°F.
- CDC: Winter weather safety at home Fireplaces and wood stoves, venting, thermometer for adults over 65.
- CDC: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Basics Charcoal, camp stoves, flameless heaters, gas ovens.
- Ready.gov: Winter Weather Never heat with a gas stove or oven. Generator distance.
- Ready.gov: Power Outages Community locations with power.
- American Red Cross: Winter Storm Safety Warm fluids, 3 feet from heat, candles, where to go, checking on neighbors.
- American Red Cross: Frozen Pipes Which pipes freeze, prevention, thawing.
- CPSC: winter storm safety tips (12 Dec 2025) Portable heaters, charcoal in garages.